The Wild Ride

Moriah's P.O.V.
I hopped onto the bus and went over to my bunk. The scene from earlier made me think of all those fairy tales with the damsels in distress. I giggled and flipped over onto my stomach from my back, pulling out Needful Things from under my pillow.

As I read, I saw the others file in and get in their own bunks in my peripheral vision. I felt weight at the end of my bed, indicating someone had sat down, and jumped. I flipped back onto my back and sat up, finding Jaci laughing. "Damn, calm down spaz."

I glared at her. "What do you want princess?"

"Just to talk. Princess?"

I shook my head. "Nevermind. Did you have something in mind or what?"

Jaci nodded. "Matt and I are now boyfriend and girlfriend," she announce triumphantly.

I giggled. "Awesome. I'm shocked you're not over there with him right now."

She rolled her eyes. "What about you and and Zack. I know you like him."

I felt my cheeks burn as I shook my head. "No, I don't have anymore feeling for him. I care for him as a friend and nothing more than that."

Jaci stared intently at me for a second before saying, "Denial is the first stage Mo."

"I swear. I don't like him like that. He's got Gena." I looked down at my hands, then back up at her. "If you don't believe me fine, but I know how I feel." I'm starting to get a bit creeped out; I've never been this serious about anything.

"By the sounds of things, they might not be together much longer."

I raised an eyebrow at her, wanting her to go on. Damn my natural curiosity!

"I guess he's not answering his phone as often, according to Matt."

"If that was supposed to make me change my mind, it didn't work," I said stubbornly, picking up my book again and hoping she'd take a hint.

Jaci sighed, obviously disappointed. "Well, I'm gonna go to bed. Night Mo."

"Night." I read for about thirty more minutes, then went to sleep.

The next morning I got up and went to get some water. As I passed through the living area, I saw Lyndsey, Rilen, Liss, Jason, and Johnny congregated there. "A nudist colony would be so awesome," I heard Lynds telling the others. "I think I might start one. You guys in?"

I walked back in a sat down next to Liss on the couch with my water. "Is Moriah in it?" Johnny asked.

I shrugged. "Yeah, sure. Why?"

"You've got a nice rack," he replied with a wink.

I rolled my eyes and Liss slapped him in the back of the head. "What?" whined Johnny, rubbing the spot where Liss hit him.

Jason stepped in. "Calm down Liss. It's what guys do."

"Yeah. Guys are just stupid and immature. Nothing to worry about sister," Lynds added.

I finished my water and returned to my bunk to get some clothes on. I threw on a pair of jeans and a black Guns N' Roses tank top. As I was brushing my hair, I heard someone yelling outside the bus. My curiosity kicked in again, so I decided to go investigate.

I peeked outside the doorway of the bus and saw Zacky on the phone. "Gena, fuck, I don't hate you! I just want to have fun without you calling me all the time to make sure I'm not cheating!" he growled.

Since he was facing the opposite direction, I stepped off the bus and leaned against it. "Oh my God! Why the fuck don't you trust me! I've never cheated on you before..." He trailed off, probably being interrupted.

Zacky turned a little making my heart skip a beat. If he found me spying, he'd really hate and have a reason. "You know what, I don't need this now." In one swift motion, Zacky took the phone way from his ear and closed it. He stood rooted to the spot for a minute, just staring at the concrete.

I bit my lip, trying to decide if I should go comfort him or not. As I was heading toward him, he raised the phone and threw it to the ground, shattering it. Somehow, one of the pieces managed to hit my nose. Well, I probably deserve this for eavesdropping.

"Ow!"

"Zacky's head jerked toward me. "Fuck! Moriah are you okay?" he asked, running over to me. I removed my hand from my nose and saw it was stained in blood. I put it back, only to have it taken off again. "Damn it! I'm such a fuck up!"

"It was an accident. It's okay. Really."

He placed his arm around my shoulders and led me back to the bus. "Come on, let's go get you cleaned up."

Zacky took me to the bathroom and handed me a washcloth. I sat down on the toilet holding it to my nose. He then left the room. Damn, he was really pissed at Gena. I don't see why she doesn't trust him.

Zacky returned a few minutes later with a small bag of ice. He knelt in front of me and I could see the hatred, pain, and guilt in his eyes. He pulled my hand and washcloth away from my nose. Well, it had stopped bleeding. I'm pretty sure it's going to swell a bit though.

Zacky gently placed the ice on my nose and I held it with my hand. He got up and started pacing. "You okay?" He ran his fingers through his hair distractedly. God, he's hot. I may not have feelings for him, but that doesn't mean I can't think he's sexy. I had to avert my eyes tot he ground to keep from oogling.

"Just a little pissed."

"Oh..."

We both stayed silent until my nose started to go numb and I removed the ice from it. I got up and looked in the mirror. It didn't look as bad as it could. "Well, thanks for helping me out Zacky. And don't worry about this; it's nothing. No hard feelings, okay?"

He nodded, his face expressionless. "Well, I'm going back to our bus now so talk to you later."

I waved half-heartedly and Zacky left the bathroom. I sighed and leaned against the sink. Poor Zacky. It must suck knowing your girlfriend doesn't trust you for virtually no reason.